Who Is Next For Conor McGregor?

Conor McGregor says that talks are underway for a fight date for next year as questions remain over who he will face.
McGregor has been absent from the Octagon since 2021, when he lost at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. That was his third defeat out of his last four UFC fights, as he suffered a broken leg. He has been working his way back from injury, hoping to fight at the top level again. He was expected to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29. However, McGregor pulled out after breaking his toe. Chandler has since then decided to move on. He will rematch Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. Dana White reacted by stating that McGregor would fight early next year, but his opponent is not clear.
McGregor’s Options
McGregor has previously suggested that he would be open to fighting UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad. Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in a dominant, one-sided unanimous decision win. McGregor has been very critical of Belal, calling out his fighting style and stating that he is boring. Belal responded to those comments by welcoming the idea of a fight. However, there are question marks over whether McGregor should get a title shot immediately upon his return.
Another option is to fight Justin Gaethje. Justin was knocked out at UFC 300 by Max Holloway, which meant that he lost his BMF Title. Justin’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has stated that McGregor turned down the fight on at least five occasions. This was allegedly because Justin had been engaging in verbal exchanges on social media against McGregor.
Elsewhere, McGregor could face Ilia Topuria. The UFC Featherweight Champion is scheduled to fight Max Holloway at UFC 308. He picked up the featherweight title after knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. He has been involved in verbal confrontations with McGregor. During a recent live stream with Duelbits, McGregor stated that he would slap the nose of the featherweight champion.
Topuria reacted to those comments by stating that he would stomp on McGregor’s head. McGregor also said he would be in Spain for a BKFC event and urged Topuria to come see him. That would be one of the biggest fights in the UFC, but Topuria’s current aim seems to be Islam Makhachev. Islam submitted Dustin Poirier in the final round at UFC 302 to defend his UFC Lightweight Title.
Who Will It Be?
Makhachev revealed he suffered an injury, which has delayed his next fight. He is expected to face Arman Tsarukyan in his next defense at some point in 2025. Topuria and Islam both have wins over Volkanovski. Volk moved up to lightweight and came up short against Islam. Topuria would have to do the same to get the Islam fight, meaning the McGregor bout is less likely.
Equally, McGregor could simply wait for the Chandler fight. They have had a rivalry since their days on the TUF 31 series as rival coaches. McGregor won the coach’s challenge. But Chandler dominated the team challenge, setting up the narrative for a decisive contest. And given their history, it would be a downer if they did not settle things in the Octagon. Either way, McGregor wanted to return to the Octagon as soon as possible.
“We’re looking for the date. I’d like to square it away with Michael Chandler. You know, I’d like to get Chandler in. We’ve had our beef. It’s not settled. He has a match scheduled. I would like to fight before he’s recovered. There’s a few names in the line at the minute. There’s a few names being discussed,” McGregor said
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